Big Ideas for The Junior Classroom

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

The Arts

Music

Visual Arts

Dance and Drama

·         Read standard notation

·        Read simple musical notation

·            Read and perform from musical notation

·             

·         Produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicate ideas by identify the elements of design (colour, line, shape, form, space, texture;)

·        Produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicate a range of ideas by defining the elements of design (colour, line, shape, form, space, texture).

·            Produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicate a range of ideas using a variety of familiar art tools, materials, and techniques and identify the elements of design and the principles of design;

·         Demonstrate understanding of some of the principles involved in the structure of works in drama and dance (e.g., variety, unity);

·         Interpret and communicate the meaning of stories, poems, plays, and other material drawn from a variety of sources and cultures, using a variety of drama and dance techniques;

·        Demonstrate understanding of some of the principles (e.g., contrast, harmony) involved in the structuring of works in drama and dance

·        Interpret and communicate the meaning of stories, films, plays, songs, and other material drawn from different sources and cultures, using a range of drama and dance techniques

·            Demonstrate an understanding of all the principles involved in the structuring of works in drama and dance;

·            Interpret and communicate the meaning of novels, scripts, legends, fables, and other material drawn from a range of sources and cultures, using a variety of drama and dance techniques;

  Health and Physical Education

Healthy Living

Movement Skills

Active participation

·         Explain the role of healthy eating practices, physical activity, and heredity as they relate to body shape and size;

·         Use living skills to address personal safety and injury prevention;

·        Analyse information that has an impact on healthy eating practices;

·        Apply strategies to deal with threats to personal safety (e.g., in response to harassment) and to prevent injury (e.g., from physical assault);

·         Explain how body image and self-esteem influence eating practices;

·            Use basic prevention and treatment skills (e.g., basic first aid) to help themselves and others;

·         Perform the movement skills required to participate in lead-up games, gymnastics, dance, and outdoor pursuits while also demonstrating the principles of movement in acquiring and then beginning to refine movement skills.

·        Perform the movement skills required to participate in games, gymnastics, dance, and outdoor pursuits while also demonstrating the principles of movement while refining movement skills

·            Perform movement skills in the kind of combinations that are required in a variety of modified games, gymnastics, dance, and outdoor pursuits while demonstrating the principles of movement while refining movement skills.

·         Participate on a regular basis in physical activities that maintain or improve physical fitness while also identify the benefits of physical fitness;

·        Participate on a regular basis in physical activities that maintain or improve physical fitness while also identifying the components of physical fitness and applying living skills to physical activities;

·            Participate on a regular basis in physical activities while identifying the benefits of physical fitness and applying living skills such as goal setting, conflict-resolution techniques, and interpersonal skills;

 Language

Writing

·         communicate ideas and information for a variety of purposes and to specific audiences (e.g., write a brief research report on a class investigation for classmates);

·         begin to write for more complex purposes

·         organize and develop ideas using paragraphs (e.g., to tell a story);

·         use simple and compound sentences and vary their sentence structure;

·        communicate ideas and information for a variety of purposes (e.g., to present and support a viewpoint) and to specific audiences;

·        use writing for various purposes and in a range of contexts, including school;

·        organize information to convey a central idea, using well-developed paragraphs

·        use simple, compound, and complex sentences;

·            communicate ideas and information for a variety of purposes (to inform, to persuade, to explain) and to specific audiences;

·            use writing for various purposes and in a range of contexts, including school work;

·            organize information to convey a central idea, using well-linked paragraphs;

·            use a variety of sentence types and sentence structures appropriate for their purposes;

Reading

·         Read independently, using a variety of reading strategies;

·         Read a variety of fiction and non-fiction materials (e.g., short novels, myths, biographies, short articles) for different purposes;

·        Read independently, selecting appropriate reading strategies;

·        Read a variety of fiction and non-fiction materials (e.g., novels, short stories, biographies, editorials) for different purposes;

·            Read independently, selecting appropriate reading strategies;

·            Read a variety of fiction and non-fiction materials (e.g., novels, short stories, poetry, myths, articles) for different purposes;

Oral/Visual

·         Communicate various types of messages, explain some ideas and procedures;

·        Communicate information, explain a variety of ideas and procedures;

·            Make reports, describe and explain a course of action;

Mathematics

·         whole numbers to 10 000

·         Decimals and fractions (addition and subtraction)

·         solve problems involving the single- and multi-digit whole numbers

·         measuring length using millimeters

·         determining area and perimeter relationships for rectangles

·         measuring volume using concrete materials

·         comparing the mass and capacity of objects using standard units

·        numbers to 100 000

·        Decimals and fractions (multiplication and division)

·        adding and subtracting decimal amounts to hundredths; multiplying two-digit whole numbers by two-digit whole numbers; dividing three-digit whole numbers by one-digit whole numbers

·        converting from metres to centimetres and from kilometres to metres

·        developing and applying area and perimeter relationships for a rectangle

·        relating capacity and volume

developing and applying the volume relationship for a right rectangular prism

·            numbers to 1 000 000;

·            Decimals, percents, rate and ratios

·            decimal amounts to thousandths; (add, subtract, multiply, and divide)

·            ths by whole numbers and two-digit by two-digit whole numbers; dividing three-digit whole numbers by one-digit whole numbers

·            measuring quantities using metric units

·            developing and applying area relationships for a parallelogram and a triangle

·            determining and applying surface area relationships for rectangular and triangular prisms

Science and Technology

Understanding

Life Systems

·         Plants and animals are interdependent and are adapted to meet their needs from the resources available in their particular habitats. (Overall expectations 1, 2, and 3)

·         Changes to habitats (whether caused by natural or human means) can affect plants and animals and the relationships between them. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·         Society relies on plants and animals.(Overall expectations 1 and 2)

·         Organ systems are components of a larger system (the body) and, as such, work together and affect one another. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

• Organ structures are linked to their functions. (Overall expectations 2 and3)
• Systems in the human body work together to meet our basic needs. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)
• Choices we make affect our organ systems and, in turn, our overall health. (Overall expectations 1 and 3)

·      Biodiversity includes diversity of individuals, species, and ecosystems. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·      Classification of the components within a diverse system is a beginning point for understanding the interrelationships among the components. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·      Because all living things are connected, maintaining diversity is critical to the health of the planet. (Overall expectations 1 and 3)

·      Humans make choices that can have an impact on biodiversity. (Overall expectation 1)

Understanding

Structures and

Mechanisms

·         Pulleys and gears change the speed, direction, and motion of, and force exerted on, moving objects. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·         Pulleys and gears make it possible for a small input force to generate a large output force (Overall expectation 1)

·         Gears are specialized wheels and axles that are used daily in many machines. (Overall expectations 1, 2, and 3)

·                       Structures and mechanisms throughout our environment have forces that act on and within them. (Overall expectations 1 and 3)

·                       We can measure forces in order to determine how they affect structures and mechanisms. This information can be used to guide the design of new structures and mechanisms. (Overall expectations 1 and 2)

·                       Forces that result from natural phenomena have an effect on society and the environment. (Overall expectations 1 and 3)

·      Flight occurs when the characteristics of structures take advantage of properties of air. (Overall expectations 1, 2, and 3)

·      Air has many properties that can be used for flight and for other purposes. (Overall expectations 1, 2, and 3)

Understanding

Matter and Energy

·         Light and sound are forms of energy with specific properties. (Overall Expectations 2 and 3)

·         Sound is created by vibrations. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·         Light is required to see. (Overall expectation 3)

·         Technological innovations involving light and sound have an impact on the environment. (Overall expectation 1)

·                       There are three states of matter. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·                       Matter that changes state is still the same matter. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·                       Physical change refers to the fact that a substance can be changed from one form to another. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·                       Chemical change implies the formation of a new substance. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·                       The properties of materials determine their use and may have an effect on society and the environment. (Overall expectation 1)

·      Electrical energy can be transformed into other forms of energy. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·      Other forms of energy can be transformed into electrical energy. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·      Electrical energy plays a significant role in society, and its production has an impact on the environment. (Overall expectation 1)

·      Society must find ways to minimize the impact of energy production  on the environment. (Overall expectation 1)

Understanding

Earth and Space

Systems

·         Rocks and minerals have unique characteristics and properties that are a result of how they were formed.  (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·         The properties of rocks and minerals determine society’s possible uses for them. (Overall expectations 1 and2)

·         Our use of rocks and minerals affects the environment. (Overall expectation 1)

·                       Energy sources are either renewable or non-renewable. (Overall expectation 3)

·                       Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be transformed. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·                       Choices about using energy and resources have both immediate and long-term impacts. (Overall expectation 1)

·                       Conservation (reducing our use of energy and resources) is one way of reducing the impacts of using energy and resources. (Overall expectation 1)

·      Earth is a part of a large interrelated system. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)

·      Technological and scientific advances that enable humans to study space affect our lives. (Overall expectations 1 and 2)

Social Studies

·         Provinces, Territories and Regions of Canada

·        Citizenship and Government in Canada

·      Canada’s Links to the World